Don started working at the Eldorado in 1978 and except for a short stint away from 1983 until 1989 he’s been here ever since.

His culinary career starting when he was 16 working in restaurants in Idaho including the Turf Club under chef Pasquale Lampo. After high school, Job Corp taught him the construction trade, but he quickly realized that his heart was in the kitchen and so he switched over to the cooking program and then went on to the Marine Cooks & Stewards Union School where he worked his way through jobs as everything from a steward and housekeeper to dining room server, baker and dinner cook – this, he realized, was where he wanted to be.

After starting as a dishwasher and learning his way through the kitchen as a line cook at another downtown Reno property, Don found his way to the Eldorado where he started in the Coffee Shop when it was on the casino floor. He helped open the new Coffee Shop when it moved upstairs. Don also worked as the room chef in the Eldorado’s employee dining room, The Grapevine and ran it until Tivoli Gardens opened. He was asked to be a part of the Tivoli team and has been there through all the transitions including the most recent renovation and transformation into Millies24.

“My passion is food – I think that’s why I fit in here so well!” Don said. “The Carano’s passion for food is beyond anywhere I have experienced and it keeps me on my toes. I continue to learn every day.”